My Secret Homemade Tamales Recipe

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My Secret Homemade Tamales
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Ingredients:

  • for meat filling
  • 1 can ( 16 oz. ) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 large onion; diced
  • 3 cloves garlic; minced
  • 1/2 teasp. cinnamon powder
  • 1 teasp. cumin powder
  • 1/2 teasp. dried mexican oregano ( can substitute ordinary oregano )
  • 3 tablesps. good-quality chili powder
  • 3/4 teasp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 teasp. instant coffee powder
  • 2 teasps. goya adobo seasoning ( 1 with blue lid )
  • 2 tablesps. vegetable oil
  • 1 to 2 tablesps. corn meal
  • for masa
  • 24 corn husks ; soaked in boiling-hot water until soft & pliable (can use large squares of aluminum foil if husks unavailable)
  • 5 cups masa harina
  • 1 and 1/2 teasps. goya adobo seasoning (1 with blue lid)
  • 1/2 teasp. black pepper powder

Directions:

  1. For meat filling:
  2. Brown meat lightly on all sides, in the oil. Add onion & garlic & saute 2 minutes more. Add remaining ingredients for meat filling, plus enough hot water to cover. Bring to boil & then simmer, uncovered, until meat is very tender. You may need to add a little water now & then. Remove meat from pot & place on a large platter. Reserve liquid in pot. Allow meat to cool enough to handle, then shred very finely, by hand. Put meat back in pot with liquid & boil gently until you have about 1 cup of sauce remaining in pot..Thicken by sprinkling in cornmeal, stirring rapidly all the while, until you have a medium-thick consistency. Set aside while you prepare the masa. Follow directions on masa package for mixing, but also add the above masa filling ingredients. Remove corn husks from hot water & dry with cloth or paper towels. Spread the masa about 1/4 inch thick on smooth side of corn husk, being sure you leave about 3/4 inch uncoated at top & bottom of husk. Roll tamale up securely & fold bottom of husk up so that about 1 and 1/2 inches is folded up onto tamale.Repeat until all of meat filling & masa is used up. In a tamale steamer place hot water until it comes almost up to the steaming rack. Now place tamales in steaming-rack with the folded-up end resting on bottom of rack. You can pack the tamales in fairly tightly. Cover pot & steam tamales over gently boiling water until the tamales are firm to the touch (about 25 minutes). Remove carefully from pot & let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
  3. Note: you can also make these with same amount of chicken or pork, if desired. Use same ingredients as for beef filling.
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Nutrition Facts

Per ServingPer 100 g
Amount Per 1 Serving
Calories 161.52 Kcal (676 kJ)
Calories from fat 20.07 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2.23g 3%
Cholesterol 2.51mg 1%
Sodium 185.12mg 8%
Potassium 359.34mg 8%
Total Carbs 33.3g 11%
Sugars 3.6g 14%
Dietary Fiber 5.21g 21%
Protein 5.49g 11%
Vitamin C 8.4mg 14%
Iron 1.1mg 6%
Calcium 29.3mg 3%
Amount Per 100 g
Calories 90.77 Kcal (380 kJ)
Calories from fat 11.28 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1.25g 3%
Cholesterol 1.41mg 1%
Sodium 104.03mg 8%
Potassium 201.93mg 8%
Total Carbs 18.71g 11%
Sugars 2.02g 14%
Dietary Fiber 2.93g 21%
Protein 3.08g 11%
Vitamin C 4.7mg 14%
Iron 0.6mg 6%
Calcium 16.4mg 3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Find out how many calories should you eat.

Tastes

  • salty
  • savory
  • bitter
  • sweet
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Recipe Tags

Weightwatchers Points

  • 2.6
    Points
  • 4
    PointsPlus

Good Points

  • low fat,
  • saturated fat free,
  • low sodium,
  • cholesterol free,
  • good source of fiber

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